Knockout
by Everythingistaken
Summary: CHAPTER 12 is up! When Rusty wakes up he doesn't think his morning is going to be any different than any other morning. He couldn't be more wrong. Sharon goes missing and there doesn't seem to be any trace that could tell Rusty and the team anything about her whereabouts. What happened to Sharon Raydor and what's going to happen if they find her? Set in S5. Characters aren't mine.
1. Chapter 1

Rusty woke up due to the annoying beeping of his alarm. He pressed the snooze button one more time before he finally found the strength to leave the comfort of his bed. He walked towards the kitchen drowsily, expecting the lovely smell of coffee. Rusty suspected that Sharon must have gotten up already, since it was already past seven. But there was no coffee and no Sharon. Rusty groaned when he started the coffee machine himself and after the first cup he slowly woke up and started to wonder where his mother was. He checked his phone for messages or a missed call – Sharon always informed him when she was going to be late at night or when she left so early that they missed each other. But the last message he got was from last night saying: "Don't wait up for me, might get a little late. Will be there for breakfast though". Rusty tiptoed to Sharon's bedroom and carefully knocked on the door. Maybe she overslept, which was something that very, very rarely happened to the Captain.  
"Mom?" Rusty asked and carefully opened the door to his mother's room. The bed was empty though, the curtains weren't closed and the bedsheets looked untouched. For a split second Rusty told himself that work probably got in the way and Sharon was still at work. But he knew exactly that his mom would always, ALWAYS at least send him a text message. That's why Rusty was suddenly wide awake and a knot started to slowly form in his stomach. He tried to reach Sharon on her cell but she didn't pick up. Then he tried her work number but only reached the answering machine. Hesitating for a moment but knowing that it was his best chance to reach his mom, Rusty dialed Andy's number.  
"Flynn?" Andy answered his phone only seconds later.  
"Andy, hi, it's me."  
"Rusty, what's up? Everything all right?" Andy asked, recognizing the boy's voice instantly. He was still lying in his bed; they had been working late last night but were able to close a case so that the team had the morning off to catch up with the hours of sleep they had missed the last couple of days.  
"Uhm", Rusty cleared his throat, "is Mom with you?" He felt a little uncomfortable asking, he was still getting used to the idea of Andy and Sharon being together, even though he was not only happy for Sharon but also for Andy, whom he had gotten quiet attached to the last couple of years.  
"No, no she's not", Andy answered the question and sat up, "why?"  
"I don't think she came home last night and, I don't know, I just feel like something is off. She wrote me last night that she would be here for breakfast but that would be now and, well, she's not here and I wondered if she might still be working or is with you or", Rusty rambled.  
"No, she's not with me. Last time I saw her was around 10:30 pm, we were at a bar with the entire team, finishing up with a case. We confronted the suspect in there and were able to arrest him. We told Sharon to go home since we could close the case without her and she accepted. I assumed that she went straight home and to bed", Andy recapitulated last night's events. He was starting to get nervous as well.  
"Are you sure she didn't come home?" Andy asked.  
"I'm sure. She's not answering her phone, she's not picking up at work", Rusty started to panic.  
"Rusty, I'm sure that there's a good explanation for everything", Andy tried to calm the boy down while getting out of bed, "I'm gonna hang up for a minute now and will try to call her myself and check in with the department if she has been seen there. In the meantime, why don't you call Provenza and the others. Maybe they know where she is. Don't worry Rusty, it's going to be fine", Andy tried to convince Rusty but also himself. It did sound like something was terribly wrong and they both knew it. Sharon always keeps her word. If she says she's going to be there for breakfast, then she was going to be there. And if not, she would always find a way to inform the other person.  
"'kay", Rusty murmured. They hung up and both made one call after the other for the next few minutes. After they had called everyone that might know about her whereabouts Andy called Rusty back.  
"And?"  
"No luck", Rusty sighted, "you?"  
"No. She wasn't in her office since last night and she's not picking up."  
"Andy, I'm really starting to worry."  
"I know. Me too", Andy murmured, more to himself than to Rusty.  
"What are we going to do now?"  
Good question, Andy thought.  
"Andy?" Rusty pressed for an answer.  
"I'm going to get the team together. We'll check if the bar secured the parking lot last with a security camera. We might find out more if they do. In the meanwhile – ", Andy couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.  
"In the meantime what?!"  
"Do you know who Sharon's emergency contact is?" Andy rephrased his sentence.  
"No… no, I don't. I guess her kids maybe", Rusty guessed. In fact, he had never talked to Sharon about what would happen if something ever happened to her. They always talked about Rusty's safety but not once have they talked about her's.  
"Then in the meantime I'd like you to call Emily and Ricky and asked them if they know more. If not then you might get started, uhm," Andy cleared his throat, "on calling the hospitals in the area."  
"Andy", Rusty whispered. Things were starting to get way too real.  
"Just as a precaution", Andy said firmly.  
"Whatever. I'll call them", Rusty sighted and then started the calls while the team gathered in the police department where they decided to locate Sharon's phone first.  
Neither Emily nor Ricky knew anything about their mother's whereabouts and so far, no hospital could confirm the admittance of a brunette in her fifty's.

Rusty tried to reach his mother for the seventh time and when she still didn't pick up he got dressed and drove to the police department.  
"Any news?" Rusty asked the team that was gathered around Michael's computer.  
"We are trying to locate her phone but the last signal we get was last night at 9:45. She must have turned it off when we arrested that idiot and didn't turn it on since", Provenza stated.  
"That's not good, is it?" Rusty asked a little desperate. Neither of the team answered for seconds. Then Amy said: "We don't know anything yet. We'll have the material from the security camera any second. Until then she could be anywhere and safe for that matter." Nobody seemed to be convinced by Amy's words.

The recording of the bar's parking lot was pretty much useless for finding out where Sharon was. It showed her walking towards her car, stumbling over something before she got inside her car and started it. Seconds later she drove away and was out of the picture.

"Call her again", Andy stony-facedly ordered Michael who was the one sitting closest to the phone. His lips were pressed together and Rusty could see the muscles of his jaw clench and unclench steadily. Seeing Sharon's team worry about her petrified Rusty. He had hoped that they could calm him down, give him good reasons why they shouldn't worry about her – but no one seemed to think that the situation was harmless.

Michael dialed Sharon's number and turned the phone on speaker. It was deadly silent in the room, the beeping of the phone being the only sound that echoed through the room.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you all so much for such a wonderful feedback on the first chapter, for all the reviews, the followers and the favs! I appreciate it a lot and it totally motivated me to get a new chapter out as fast as possible. I thought this was only going to be a three-chapter-story but it doesn't seem like it anymore, I hope you like it! Please review._

She blinked. Tried to shift. It hurt. She tried to feel her body, tried to find out how she was located but she couldn't even tell if she was lying on her back or on her stomach. In fact, she couldn't even tell if she was lying at all or maybe leaning against something. She let out a groan. She felt like she had no control over her body. In fact, she DIDN'T have any control over her body. Furthermore, it felt as if her mind wasn't connected to a body anymore at all. "Maybe I'm dead", she thought. No, that wasn't possible. Even though she had no idea how it felt like, she couldn't imagine that being in heaven, nirvana or what else one might believe in felt so uncomfortable. A throbbing pain in her temples started to become noticeable. It made it even harder to think but it was also a reassuring sign that she was at least alive. The pain stopped again. The thinking stopped again. She didn't know how much time had passed until she felt the throbbing again. This time around she was able to control her eyelids. It took all her willpower to force her eyes open. The light felt as if needles stabbed into her retina. She moaned and closed them again. She tried one more time and forced herself to look at her surroundings even though the daylight worsened her headaches a hundred percent. Green. She saw green. Bushes. Where the hell was she? It took her minutes to get the strength to lift her head. She was lying on her side, that she could tell now. Her vision was blurry and she couldn't see clearly.  
"Glasses. Where are my glasses?" she started thinking. Panic crawled up on her, making her heart pound up to her ears. She did her best to suppress the feeling of helplessness. It wasn't going to get her anywhere. She took a deep breath in and sat up carefully. Her body felt so weak. Her limps were prickling as if ants were scrambling under her skin. It was uncomfortable. She looked down on herself. Her shoes were missing. Her tights barely existent anymore. She was wearing a skirt but it was almost completely ripped into two pieces on the side she had been lying on. Her blouse was fluttering around her upper body loosely, the right strap of her bra had slipped over her shoulder. While trying to get her thoughts in order she found her glasses lying a meter away from her in the dirt. She leaned towards to grab them but they were useless. Both glasses were broken. Her breathing started to become rapidly and her stomach flipped when the panic started to overwhelm her once again. Before she could do anything about it she started to retch and then threw up her stomach contents that were barely existent anyhow. When her stomach was done rebelling she groaned again and started wondering how much time had already passed. "All right, all right", she tried to calm herself in her thoughts, "you are Sharon Raydor and a police officer. Think!"

At the same time Rusty just ended one of the many calls he had already done that day. He had called Emily, Ricky, various hospitals, Sharon at least fifteen times, Jack (which was definitely one of the worst call) and now wondered about whether or not he could call Sharon's parents before deciding that that was a ridiculous idea since he a) didn't have their number, b) didn't know anything about them and c) knew that the last people on earth that would know anything about Sharon Raydor's whereabouts would be her parents. So he decided to call Andy. The team had decided to spread out and search for her while Buzz stayed at the department and did everything that had to be done in order to file a missing person's report. It was necessary so that they could officially use the department's devices in order to find her.

Andy was sitting next to Louie. He had wanted to drive but Provenza wouldn't let him. "Won't do her any good if you kill us in a car accident", he had grunted while sitting down in the driver's seat. They had decided that Flynn and Provenza would drive down all the routes that Sharon could have taken to get home from the bar. Tao and Sykes would check out the route to Andy's house while Buzz was now constantly checking if they could locate her phone.

Provenza and Flynn concentrated on their surroundings, trying to find a clue that could tell them where the captain might be. The traffic light in front of them turned from orange to red and Provenza stopped. He glanced to his side and looked at his partner.  
"We are going to find her", he reassured.  
"I just hope we aren't going to find her too late", Andy murmured. He felt like he couldn't breathe. It was heard for him to stop picturing every single worst case scenario that might have happened to his girlfriend.  
The traffic light changed its colors again and Provenza started driving.  
"Where the hell is she", Andy hissed.  
"Andy, I need you to think like a cop now! Imagine she would be in any kind of trouble. Where would she go?"  
Andy was glad that Provenza was helping him to stay focused. Otherwise he might lose his mind.  
"She would call. That's what she would do first. She would call one of us."  
"Well, she didn't. That's a fact. But where would she go?" Provenza pressured Andy. He needed facts, he needed something he could trace back, so that they wouldn't keep searching in the dark.  
"Jesus, I don't know! She would go home; she would come to the office or to my place. Something must have happened that threw her off. Something that," Andy started his next sentence which he didn't finish.  
"Go left, to the left!" he shouted a little louder than necessary.  
"What is it?" Provenza asked while turning into an alleyway that didn't seem like a place the captain would ever decide to drive through on her free will. But seconds later Provenza knew why Andy wanted him to go there.  
"That's her car", Provenza asserted.  
"Yeah", Andy swallowed.  
"What the…" Provenza murmured. To say that Sharon's car had been parked at the side of the road was exaggerated. It looked more like a drunk 14-year-old had tried to do the parking: the SUV stood diagonally to the street, the front half on the sideway, the rest still standing on the street.  
Provenza immediately made calls and soon the place was crowded with officers that were trying to secure potential evidence.  
"She didn't even lock the car", Amy found out as she opened the driver's door. "And she didn't take the keys out."  
Andy stood a meter away from Amy, his arms crossed in front of his chest with clenched fists. His fingernails were digging into the flesh of his palms but he didn't even notice the pain. It was all he could do to not punch the next thing that came too close to him as hard as he could. So far there was no good sign that Sharon was all right. Provenza walked up to Andy and quietly, so that no one else could here, said: "Pull yourself together, Flynn! You are doing no good in this state. You either start working here or you get back to station and help Rusty or attend a meeting or whatever. But you need to snap out of this!"  
Andy knew Provenza meant good. He honestly knew. But as said before, Andy was already trying real hard not to lose his mind and now not to punch his friend in the face. He took a deep breath in. Self-control. If he had one thing from being sober for decades, it was self-control.  
"Did she leave her bag in the car?" Andy asked.  
Amy and Provenza carefully looked through the SUV so that they wouldn't destroy and hints. In the meantime, Andy opened the trunk of the car and found the answer to his question himself.  
"It's here", he said and took out the classic black leather purse of his girlfriend.  
"Is her phone in there?" Michael asked.  
"No."  
"That's good", Amy stated.  
"Only if she turns it on, damned", Provenza cursed. Nobody found a trace of Sharon. Nothing in her car pointed out that there had been another person involved or that there had been a fight.  
 _What the hell happened to you,_ Andy thought. It had been seven hours since Rusty called Andy. They all knew that the first 24 hours were crucial. If they didn't find her in those hours, the chances of finding her alive at all were too low for the team to stand. They had to find her. And they had to find her now.

"Let's say she parked her car here", Amy started reasoning, "because whatever reason she might have. She left her purse and the keys so she was under pressure to get away. Maybe someone was following her. She hurried away on foot. I'd say we spread out and search every single square meter."  
Provenza and Tao nodded, Andy stood still.  
"We need more backup", Andy said.  
"I already made the call. They are on their way", Provenza said. Soon the area was crowded with police officers, looking for Sharon Raydor.


	3. Chapter 3

_You guys have no idea how happy all of your reviews make me, honestly! Thank you SO much, you're great. I hope you like the following chapter as much as you liked the ones before._

Sharon opened her eyes and moaned in discomfort. Before being able to think straight she was already retching again and again. Tears were rolling down her cheeks, even though she wasn't crying. When she was finally able to catch a breath Sharon looked down at herself once more. Her clothes were still ripped – but why? She tried to remember what had happened, tried to find a clue in her memory what she was doing at that abandoned place on earth. But she couldn't. There was nothing. As if someone used an eraser and obliterated everything. Her pulse raced. Her head was throbbing. Her hands were shaking. She was starting to feel dizzy and light-headed. Just before Sharon was about to lose her consciousness she fought against the darkness that threatened to overcome her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in before letting the air out again. The effort of calming herself down succeeded and a few moments later Sharon opened her eyes again. She started to examine her surroundings. If she was right and lucky, Sharon thought, she was stranded in a roadside ditch. She could hear cars driving by, but she wasn't sure if that was just wishful thinking. Sharon didn't feel like she could trust her own instincts, she hadn't even noticed that blood was running down her left cheek until she wondered where the red stains on her blouse came from.  
I need to get up there, Sharon thought. She tried to get her body into a position that allowed her to crawl towards where the brunette suspected a street and in connection to that safety. But she wasn't even on one knee when her limps became numb, her arms gave in and she was lying on the ground again.

A while later at the police station Buzz was doing everything in his power to check video tapes from security cameras, sort through notifications from allegedly eyewitnesses that say that they have seen the Captain last night while trying again and again to locate her phone.  
Rusty was sitting next to Buzz and tried to help wherever he could. There was not one video tape that he hadn't seen, but not one showed Sharon. "Are you sure I shouldn't go look for her too?" Rusty asked while Buzz tried to locate Sharon's phone one more time.  
"No, stay here", Buzz murmured. Rusty led out a frustrated sight and sunk back in his chair. He couldn't sit still anymore so he started to walk up and down in front of Buzz's desk. Rusty wouldn't even admit it to himself, he was trying to act like a grown up here, like he saw everybody else acting: focused, concentrated and rational. But he was feeling like he was about to lose his mind at any moment. Rusty had lived through terrible pain, excruciating loneliness, betrayal and disappointment. But this - this was far beyond everything he had ever experienced. Losing his Mom, his REAL Mom, the woman that had showed him what having a mother really means was more than he could take. This couldn't be happening. But Rusty didn't benefit from an intensive police training and didn't have the ability to control his emotions as well as the team. He know though, that deep down the entire team was probably as scared about Sharon as Rusty was. Just as the boy sank into the chair next to Buzz, Buzz whispered: "Oh my god."  
"What?!" Rusty sat up straight.  
"I think I just got a signal."  
"What do you mean you think? What does that mean? Can we call her?" Rusty asked, his phone already in his hands.  
"Don't!" Buzz stopped him.  
"I think she just turned it on. I'll make the calls", Buzz ordered and dialed Provenza's number.  
"Any news?" Provenza answered his phone.  
"I got a location", Buzz got to the point and immediately gave them the coordinates, "If she's where her phone is then she's somewhere between the Hollywood Freeway and that small Valley Village Park. I'll try to call her now, don't hang up, I'll make a conference call."

Andy looked at Provenza with questioning eyes and Provenza turned the phone on speaker.  
"What is it?" Andy asked.  
"Buzz thinks she just turned her phone on. He got a signal. He'll try to call her again", Provenza recapped.  
Andy's heart was pounding when Amy and Michael gathered around Provenza so that they could hear as well.  
The seconds never went by so slow. Nobody really expected Sharon to pick up her phone but they were still hoping.

At the same time Sharon was kneeling on the ground with her phone in her hands. She was so relieved that she felt like crying.  
She had had no idea how many hours had passed since she first woke up but she finally had felt like her head was getting at least slightly clearer. Sharon was now sure that she had landed in that kind of a ditch that separated a park from the street. She could hear cars nearby but only very slowly made her way out of the green. She was so nauseous that every couple meters she had had to stop moving forwards to vomit and even though she wasn't sure about it, Sharon believed that she had been passing out numerous times in the last hours. While crawling on her knees towards where Sharon had believed the road must be she unexpectedly found her blazer lying near her. "My phone!" she had though and prayed to god that it was still in her pocket where she sometimes put it. It was indeed. She had turned it on with shaking hands and immediately saw that there were dozens of missed calls. Before having time to call someone, the phone rang.

"Yes?"  
"Oh my god, Sharon", Andy shouted out before he was able to control his emotions. The relieve was overwhelming not only him but also the rest of the team.  
"Mom!" Rusty exclaimed, finally feeling able to breathe.  
"Where are you?" Michael asked and at the same time Andy asked: "What happened, are you OK?". Everyone was silent again, waiting for Sharon's answer.  
"I, uhm", Sharon whispered barely noticeable.  
"Sharon, what's wrong? Where are you? What happened?" Andy asked one question after the other.  
"I'm not sure", Sharon answered with a very hoarse voice.  
"What do you mean you're not sure?" Rusty stepped in.  
On the other side of the line Sharon looked around her surroundings.  
"Captain?" Provenza asked.  
"I don't know, I can't… I'm in some kind of a ditch near a road", Sharon tried to explain, "I don't know where. I'm trying to get out of here, but…", Sharon said in her calm voice, but this time it was because she felt like she had no energy to even talk.  
"That's ok, you can stay where you are Captain, we located your phone and are on the way there. IF we're right what you hear are the cars on the Hollywood Freeway. But don't worry, stay where you are", Provenza said while the team got into their cars.  
"Sharon, what happened, are you all right?" Andy asked again. He had taken the phone out of Provenzas hands because he was just starting the car to get to Sharon.  
"I don't know", Sharon suppressed tears, "I have no idea what happened."  
"Are you OK, mom?" Rusty wanted to know. He was standing in front of Buzz's desk, unable to stay seated.  
Sharon didn't want to admit that she felt like a truck had hit her and was searching for the right words.  
"MOM?" Rusty didn't have the patience to wait anymore, "I wanna go too", he said to Buzz who shook his head. "I NEED TO GO!"  
Sharon overheard her son: "Rusty, I'm ok. Please stay where you are", she pleaded. She had absolutely no desire to have her son see her like this. Her legs were resting in the dirt; her upper body was supported by her left arm while she held the phone with her right hand.  
"Mom, please."  
Sharon didn't have the power to argue: "Rusty, please do this for me. Please just stay where you are for now."  
Rusty knew that he had to give in.  
"Ok. I love you, mom."  
"Love you too. See you in a bit", Sharon whispered and quickly hung up before her stomach started to rebel again. As soon as Sharon hung up Andy immediately called her again. She felt the phone vibrate in her hand but gave herself a couple of moments until she picked up.  
"Hi", she whispered.  
"Sharon", Andy said, suppressing a thousand questions that he wanted to ask her, "we are almost there."  
"I'm really tired, Andy", Sharon said.  
"I know. It's ok, we will be there any minute now. Are you ok? Are you hurt?" Andy asked and Provenza looked at him, eager to find out the answer to that question himself.  
"I'm not sure", Sharon sighted as she tried to feel her body but the perception of her own body was still off.  
Andy wanted Sharon to keep talking so he asked again: "Are you in any pain? Does anything hurt?"  
"My head. My head hurts", Sharon admitted, "and I'm really, really nauseous."  
Andy felt with her but was also a little relieved that she felt pain. As long as you feel pain your body didn't give up. Yet.  
"What do you see?" Andy asked in an effort to keep her talking again.  
"Not much", Sharon whispered, "I'm really, really tired."  
"I know, I know. You'll be able to sleep as much as you want as soon as we get you out of there. Now tell me, what do you see?"  
"Just dirt and bushes. I'm really sure that there's a street up there but I just can't get up", Sharon said, already forgotten that Provenza had told her where she was, "it's too steep."  
"That's ok, I will help you with that as soon as we are there, don't worry about that."  
"Please hurry", Sharon suddenly whined when she heard something creak behind her. She couldn't see anything but it scared the hell out of her.  
"We are, I promise. You should here sirens by now, we are really close to where Buzz located your phone", Andy promised but Sharon wasn't paying any attention at that moment. She starred towards the direction where the creak had come from and she wasn't sure if her imagination was playing a trick on her or if there really was something moving in the bushes about ten meters away from her. Her breathing became so rapid that Andy noticed it over the phone: "Sharon, do you here the sirens? We are almost there, try to keep calm."

Sharon concentrated on Andy's voice and a few seconds later she could hear them: "I do. I hear you", she whispered.  
"Please don't hang up."  
"I won't", Andy promised while getting out of the car.

 _Thank you so much for reading - feel free to share your opinion about this chapter and I'll be doing my best to update as soon as possible._


	4. Chapter 4

_Hey everyone, I know I've said it before but I'm gonna say it again: Thank you, thank you, thank you for your awesome reviews, PM and so on, they are very much appreciated._

 **WARNING: DATE RAPE DRUG is** **MENTIONED** **in the following chapter**

And then finally Sharon heard her name over and over again: "Sharon? SHARON!"  
"I'm here", she said as loud as she could, but knew that it couldn't be louder than a whimper. She just wanted to close her eyes and rest.  
Louie, Andy, Amy and Michael and a dozen other officers and two dogs were searching the side of the Hollywood FW. Suddenly one of the dogs got a lead, followed it with his nose and moments later started barking.  
"OVER HERE", the police officer with the dog yelled. Andy was the first to run towards the place where the dog had started to bark. It was the only place that was so densely grown by bushes that Andy had trouble getting through the green while making his way down the ditch that he assumed was about two meters lower than the street.  
"Sharon, I'm going to yell your name now and you tell me if you can hear me, ok?" Andy asked over the phone.  
"Yes", Sharon whispered.  
"Sharon?" he kept yelling.  
"I can here you", she responded faintly.  
And then Andy saw his girlfriend, lying in the dirt with her clothes torn.  
"Oh my god", he whispered, squeezing himself through the plants until he finally held her in his arms. Sharon buried her face into Andy's chest and let him hold her tightly. She didn't have the strength to even put her arms around him.  
"It's ok, you're safe now. It's going to be ok", Andy whispered.  
"Andy?" Provenza yelled.  
"I GOT HER", he yelled back.  
"Can you get her out of there on your own?"  
Andy looked at Sharon questioningly. They looked into each other's eyes for a second and then Sharon nodded. Yes, he would get her out of there.  
"Yeah, we'll try", Andy responded. It was unbelievable – Los Angeles was pretty much a desert with very few green. But he couldn't even see the street from down there.  
First Andy took off his jacket and helped Sharon to put it on. She wasn't saying a word and Andy was scared that she might pass out.  
"All right Sharon, we need to get you out of here now, ok?"  
Sharon nodded.  
Andy laid an arm around her waist and she gratefully leaned herself on him so that a lot of her bodyweight was carried by him while they made their way out of the ditch crawling.  
"Almost there, we almost got it", Andy tried to motivate Sharon, who was getting slower. She let out a groan and stopped moving forward.  
"Sharon, look at me", Andy demanded gently and Sharon obeyed weakly, "it's almost over. A few more seconds and you're out of here."  
Sharon was as white as a piece of paper and Andy started to worry that she might suffer from internal bleedings that were worsened by him pushing her to move.  
"I just…", Sharon whispered but she didn't even know herself what she wanted to say. Her head was spinning and she had to use all of her willpower to keep her eyes open.  
"Come on, let's get you out of here", Andy said and Sharon fought against her body until finally they got out.  
The team looked at their Captain in shock. She looked like she just came from hell. Provenza and Sykes helped Andy and together they got their Captain out of the ditch.  
They laid her on the ground, her head resting on Provenza's jacket. Sharon tried to say something but Andy, who was kneeling beside her shushed her: "Don't talk. You're safe now. The paramedics will be here any second." His last words weren't heard by Sharon. Darkness had already overcome her again.  
The paramedics had arrived seconds later and soon she was lying on gurney with an IV in her arm, and oxygen-mask covering her face and with Andy by her side.

Hours later Sharon was woken by the annoying sound of some machine beeping. She tried to open her eyes but the light was still like poison for her eyes.  
"Mom", Rusty whispered. He had been sitting on a chair directly by the side of Sharon's bed and now carefully took her hands into his. Andy was sitting on the other side of the bed and gratefully watched Sharon waking up.  
"Hi", Sharon whispered in a raspy voice and opened her eyes even though it hurt. She wanted to see her son.  
"It's so good to see you awake", Andy smiled. Sharon first looked at Rusty and then at Andy.  
"What happened?" Sharon asked, her voice only a whisper and tried to sit up but then moaned in pain.  
"Don't move, you have a couple of cracked rips and a concussion", Andy smiled compassionately. Rusty reached for a cup, filled it with water and looked at Sharon questioning. She nodded and so Rusty helped her to get some of the water inside her.  
"What happened?" Sharon asked again.  
"Do you remember anything?" Andy asked instead of answering her question.  
"I… No… no, not really. I remember that ditch. And, uhm, I remember finding my phone. And then you came. But it's all in fragments. Andy, what happened?" Sharon asked one more time.  
Rusty looked at Andy while still holding Sharon's hand.  
Andy took a breath in, cleared his throat and said: "They found GHB in your system, Sharon. Someone drugged you."  
Sharon looked at Andy, unable to wrap her head around what she just heard. She hadn't had the strength to think about anything that had happened but hadn't expected that kind of answer anyway. Then she looked at Rusty as if she was trying to get an explanation from his face expression.  
"What?" she whispered, her heart starting to pound a little faster.  
"We don't know how yet, but at some point someone put the date rape drug in a drink or something", Andy explained with a sad smile.  
Due to her job Sharon knew everything about that drug. Rapists were known to put it in drinks of their victims in bars, clubs or during house parties. It worked like a sedative and the negative effects become more apparent with larger doses like dizziness, vomiting, nausea, memory loss and so on.  
"But when? I wasn't… I was just driving home", Sharon tried to remember.  
"We don't know that. Don't think about that now. All that matters is that you are safe and we will figure out how this could have happened", Andy knew that the information would unsettle Sharon but didn't want to withhold anything from her. Besides – they needed a statement from her later anyway and it was better if she at least knew what had happened to her.  
That moment a doctor entered the room with that reassuring smile only doctors had on their faces. Sharon guessed that he was in his mid-fifties, he was at least as tall as Andy and had a very calm vibe.  
"Captain Raydor, it's good to see you awake", he smiled and squeezed her hand for a split second, "I'm Dr. Jones, I have been treating you since you've been admitted. How are you feeling?" he asked.  
"A little drowsy maybe, but fine", Sharon smiled. Dr. Jones looked at Rusty and Andy while saying: "Could you give us a moment?"  
Rusty was already getting up when Sharon said: "It's all right, they can stay. There's not really anything they can't hear."  
This time Andy took her hand into his. He was incredibly relieved that Sharon hadn't closed off yet and hoped that they could avoid that all together. Rusty was a little surprised when Sharon allowed him to stay but she probably knew that he would want to know everything afterwards anyhow so he might as well just stay.  
"Well, as you might already know we found a massive amount of GHB in your blood. It's what caused the nausea and vomiting which lead to serious dehydration. We will let the IV in for at least the next 24 hours and then see from there. You sprained two ribs on your left side of the ribcage but luckily didn't break anything. You are under absolute bedrest for the next week, also due to the concussion. From then on your physical recovery should advance smoothly, as long as you take it slow."  
"I'll do my best", Sharon smiled halfhearted. She knew she was lucky, whatever had happened she was sure that things could have turned out worse but she hated the idea of staying in that hospital bed for at least 24 hours and then being on bedrest. If she would be alone she would be walking around in 48 hours but with Andy and Rusty around she knew that she didn't stand a chance.  
"I know you probably know as much about GHB as I do", Dr. Jones said, "but please consider accepting psychological support. With time it is quite common that you might experience flashbacks from what happened, just small fragments. Those and also the black spots in your memory are very well known for causing panic attacks or to frighten you", the doctor talked until Sharon interrupted him.  
"Uhm… I… I", she stuttered a little, having trouble to speak out what was on her mind. She suddenly wished that Andy and Rusty weren't with her right now but she couldn't throw them out of the room now. Besides, they probably already knew the answer to her question.  
"Have you done a rape-kid?" she asked quietly. Rusty didn't know where to look and just focused on the sheets that were pretty much the same color as his mother's face while Andy gently squeezed Sharon's hand to symbolize her that she wasn't alone.  
"Yes, we did. There were no indications of a rape. There are however bruises on your torso that are unlikely caused by a fall."

"Meaning?" Sharon asked even though she knew the answer.  
"Meaning that the person who drugged you or somebody else did violate you, which also may have caused the sprained ribs."  
Sharon took a deep breath in and regretted it in an instant – pain shot threw her body, caused by her injured ribs.  
"Do you have any other questions?" the Doctor ask kindly.  
"Not right now", Sharon answered, suddenly overwhelmed by tiredness.  
"You should try to get some sleep", Dr. Jones said before he left the room.

"Are you ok?" Rusty asked.  
"Hm", Sharon hummed without opening her eyes. Rusty knew every single hum of his mother, he knew which was good and which wasn't. But this… this hum wasn't good. It was scary.  
"Mom?" Rusty asked again, feeling a little lost.  
Sharon opened her eyes to look into her son's face: "Rusty, I'm going to be ok. I am not lying to you. I'm gonna be fine. I feel a little overwhelmed right now and quiet honestly just want to sleep a little. But it's going to be all right, I promise."  
"'kay", Rusty smiled unsure.  
"Emily and Ricky are on their way too", Andy said, he had totally forgotten to tell her before, "they should be here soon."  
"Oh they didn't have to come", Sharon sighted. She didn't want to be a burden on her children.  
"They know that", Andy smiled, "but nothing could have stopped them."  
Sharon smiled faintly before drifting off to sleep.

The next time Sharon woke up, all of her children were gathered around her.  
"Mom", Ricky smiled when he noticed that she was opening her eyes.  
"Hey", Sharon smiled back, her heart filled with joy for a second. Whenever all of her children were in one room she couldn't help herself but always felt a little overwhelmed with pride and love. But this time reality very quickly caught up with her and she realized that her kids where all gathered around because she was lying in a hospital bed and still didn't know exactly what had happened.  
"How are you feeling?" Emily asked. She sat down on the bed and placed a gently kiss on her mom's cheek.  
"I'm all right", Sharon reassured, "I think I'm on pretty good pain killers, I feel a little-"  
"high?" Ricky finished her sentence.  
"Yeah", Sharon chuckled before the pain in her ribs reminded her that laughing wasn't a good idea, even with the pain killers in her system.  
"What happened, Mom?" Ricky asked. He sat down on the other side of the bed and laid a hand on Sharon's legs.  
"I honestly don't know. I don't remember anything", Sharon sighted. The clearer her head got the more difficult it was for her to accept that the memory of the last night was simply nonexistent.  
"But I'm sure everyone is working very hard right now to figure that out", she smiled.  
"Do you need anything? Should we get you something?" Rusty asked.  
"No thank you, I think I'm fine. Or, actually, if you don't mind – I would love to get out of that hideous hospital gown. Mint green has never been my color", Sharon tried to joke, she couldn't stand her children's serious faces, "if one of you could just grab one of my pajamas next time you're home I'd really appreciate it."  
"Of course", Ricky answered for all of them.  
"You know that you really don't have to stay. I'm sure you are very much needed at work", Sharon said to both Ricky and Emily.  
"We know, Mom. But I think that there's no place we need to be right now than here."  
Sharon closed her eyes again.

 _I hope you liked the chapter! It was a little less dramatic than the others and from now on it will be all about finding out what had happened and how everyone is going to cope with the events. Any thoughts from your parts? Let me know!_


	5. Chapter 5

_Hey everyone, I'm sorry it took so long to update but I have been travelling a bit the last couple of weeks. I'm not really in the flow anymore regarding this storyline but I'll try to get back into it. Please review :)_

The next time Sharon opened her eyes, Andy was gently stroking her hand.  
"I'm sorry to wake you up", Andy said quietly. Sharon hadn't even noticed that Andy had woken her up since she had been drifting in and out of sleep for hours now.  
"But we could really use some information from you to get the investigation rolling. So far we have as good as nothing", Andy explained with a sad smile. Sharon was still in the process of waking up so she simply nodded.  
"Is it all right if Amy and Louie talk to you? I'll stay here but I don't think I should be the one", Andy said and sighted, "I don't think I can stay objective."  
"Yeah, sure", Sharon whispered. She still felt the leftovers from the drugs in her system and wasn't fully anticipating the situation anyhow. Andy got up and seconds later he, Sykes and Provenza gathered around Sharon's hospital bed.  
"How are you feeling, Captain?" Amy asked.  
Sharon tried her best to smile while answering: "I had better days. But I'll be fine."  
"What is the last thing you remember about last night?" Provenza asked, cutting right to the chase.  
"I'm not sure. I remember that we were arresting the man that killed Mike Orson", Sharon remembered the last case they were working on, "and that I was the first to leave because you said you'd finish everything up, right?"  
"Right", Amy nodded.  
"It's just fragments from there on. I walked to my car and I remember feeling really tired."  
"And then?" Provenza asked in an effort to keep her talking.  
"And then", Sharon sighted. She closed her eyes for a couple of moments while trying to remember her car drive. "And then I remember lights."  
"Lights?" Amy asked.  
"Yes, lights. I can't tell you why, but all I remember from driving home is penetrative light that had been bothering me."  
"Like someone driving with high beams behind you maybe?" Provenza offered an explanation for Sharon's memory.  
"Maybe. But I honestly don't know", Sharon said slowly.  
"Do you remember anything after that?" Amy asked.  
Sharon took a few seconds until she answered: "No. Next thing I can recall is lying in that ditch. Have you found my car?" Sharon asked and then the three told her everything that had led them to her the night before.  
"I walked a mile after getting out of the car?" Sharon asked in disbelieve after they finished.  
"At least you were found a mile away from your car. Right now we don't know how you put that distance between yourself and the car", Andy answered.  
"All right, I know this'll probably be even harder for you to remember. But can you try to get together everything you ate and drank that day?" Provenza asked. Sharon had been expecting that question. In fact, she had been thinking about that herself ever since she knew that someone had drugged her, so she didn't need to think much and told them everything she remembered about what she ate and drank the day before. Of course what the team really wanted to know was what she drank and ate last.  
"Are you sure you didn't have anything to drink in the bar?" Andy asked.  
"Andy, there is an empty spot in my memory. Of course I'm not sure", Sharon snapped a little and tried to sit up. She regretted both immediately. Her head started spinning, pain shot through her body due to her cracked ribs and she knew that Andy was only trying to find out what had happened to her.  
"I'm sorry", she whispered while Andy helped her to slowly lied back.  
"It's ok", Andy smiled.  
Sharon swallowed and then said: "As far as I can recall the last thing I had was coffee from my coffee mug in the car before we got into the bar. And yes, I'm pretty sure that the coffee was from our machine at station."  
"Who had access to your mug?" Provenza asked and Sharon sighted frustrated: "You know as well as I do who did. All of you, other police officers that were there, I can't tell you anything specific."  
"All right, I understand", Provenza offered an understanding smile, "I do. Morales is already looking for any traces left in the mug."  
Sharon nodded and closed her eyes.  
For a moment Provenza and Andy exchanged looks. Then both of them looked at Amy before all of them looked at Sharon.  
"What?" Sharon asked. The conversation exhausted her and she fought against the sleep that was threating to overcome her.  
"Sharon, when the doctors examined you, they found a… well, I suppose you could call it a message", Amy began to explain.  
"A message? What kind of a message?" Sharon asked, suddenly feeling awake again.  
"It said: You're mine", Amy answered.  
"What?" Sharon whispered while shaking her head. None if this was making any sense to her.  
"Someone wrote it on the inside of your thigh", Provenza stepped in.  
Sharon's stomach flipped and was thankful that Andy noticed and immediately handed her a bowl in which she threw up the entire fluids that she had been drinking. Provenza and Sykes turned away to give her at least some sort of privacy. A couple of minutes later Sharon rested her head on the pillow again and gladly accepted the water that Andy offered her. She took a deep breath in before she asked: "Why didn't you tell me this before?"  
"You know we couldn't until you gave your statement", Andy answered quietly. He had been worried a lot about what kind of effect that information would have on Sharon. It was making it bulletproof that someone had been messing with Sharon when she was in the most vulnerable state possible.  
Sharon closed her eyes and forced her brain to remember. She HAD to remember something. She was there for Christ's sake; how could her memory just betray her like that.  
"Sharon, did you receive any calls from numbers you don't know, E-Mails, letters - anything outside the normal?" Provenza asked.  
"I get calls from numbers I don't know all the time. And I never pay much attention to those. So no, there was nothing that caught my attention."  
"I think you should get some rest now", Andy stated. If it was even possible, Sharon looked more exhausted now than she had before.  
"Yeah, we got everything we need for now. Whenever you remember anything new, just let us know, ok?" Amy asked. She knew as well as everyone else in the room that broken bits of memory could come back to victims of GHB any time.  
"Of course", Sharon said quietly. The "interrogation" had been a lot and all she wanted to do now was to find some peace in her sleep.  
"Oh and Captain – do we have your permission to go through your office and home in order to find just anything that might give us a hint?" Amy asked. She wasn't exactly following protocol with her question and everyone in the room knew it, but Sharon was still their Captain and the team was trying their best not to cross any borders.  
"Sure, yes. Of course", Sharon said, "but I don't think you'll be finding anything at home."  
"Just to make sure. All right now, get some rest", Provenza tried to smile and laid his hand on Sharon's right shoulder for a split second, "it's good to know you're safe. Let's make sure it stays that way."  
"Thank you", Sharon smiled as Amy and Louie stepped out of the room.

"Where are the kids?" Sharon asked Andy after Amy and Louie had closed the door behind them.  
"I sent them home to freshen up a little and Rusty wanted to pack a back for you", Andy explained, "I hope that's ok?"  
"Of course", Sharon nodded.  
"How are you feeling?" Andy asked carefully.  
"I'm not sure", Sharon sighted, " still a little drowsy maybe."  
"Is the pain tolerable? Because I could get the nurse to give you another-" Andy suggested but Sharon interrupted him: "No, no, please don't. I feel like my head is finally clearing, I don't want it to be benumbed again."  
"All right then", Andy smiled and took Sharon's hand. Their eyes met for a couple of moments. Andy wanted to say so many things but he knew that Sharon would need more time before. Sharon suppressed a yawn and without a word Andy brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. His pure presence calmed Sharon down and she didn't fight the sleep that overcame her.


	6. Chapter 6

_Wow, I can't believe I'm finally updating myself! I am so sorry for letting you wait so long, thank you so, so much for your continuing support, I just totally lost my motivation for this story. I hope you like the update. I won't concentrate on the investigation very much but more on how it effects Sharon and the rest._

Chapter 6

The next time Sharon opened her eyes she could tell that it was early in the morning. The sun was shining through the curtains that were supposed to keep the lightness out. Sharon shifted a little and tried to get comfortable which was a difficult task for her these days. She groaned in frustration and started to pull the oxygen tube that had been supporting her breathing through the night out of her nostrils because they were starting to get on her nerves. Andy, who was asleep in the most uncomfortable position possible on the chair next to Sharon's bed woke up by her shifting.  
"Sharon, don't", he grumbled with a voice that was still full of sleep. Andy gently put his hand on Sharon's forearm and stopped her from pulling the tube out.  
Sharon sighted while Andy stretched his stiff muscles groaning.  
"Andy, you shouldn't have spent the night here", Sharon murmured as she noticed his discomfort.  
"I'm ok. More importantly: how are you feeling?"  
"I'm ok too."  
"How's your head?"  
"Still attached to my neck", Sharon smiled – she hated being hovered over almost more than not being a 100% fit.  
"Sharon", Andy sighted frustrated.  
"Look, I'm sorry, Andy. But can we make a deal?"  
"What kind of a deal?"  
"I'll tell you whenever I feel worse than I do now and you may ask me three times a day TOPS how I am doing."  
Andy immediately got what Sharon was trying to point out: "deal."  
"Thank you", Sharon smiled tiredly.  
"I just don't like seeing you like this."  
"Well, I don't like being like this either but as we both know from experience, it'll only get better from here on."  
Andy leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on his girlfriend's lips.  
"Any news?" Sharon asked.  
"There actually are."  
"Oh?"  
"Sharon, Julio and Amy went by the condo after they left the hospitals to check for any hints."  
"And?"  
"They found letters."  
"Urgh", Sharon closed her eyes for a couple of moments. Ever since Rusty's threat letters Sharon was especially tense when it came to any kind of letters involved in an investigation.  
"What kind of letters?"  
"It's hard to say", Andy said, "some are love-letters, some are slightly threatening."  
"Love-letters?"  
"Tao sent me copies, here", Andy handed Sharon her phone while she reached for her glasses. Andy saw that she struggled to reach over the nightstand to get her glasses so he gave her those too.  
" _My dearest Sharon,  
oh who ever loved that loved not on first sight?_", Sharon started to read one of the letters, "isn't that Shakespeare?"  
"I'm afraid you're asking the wrong person."  
"Right", Sharon murmured and continued reading. Every once in a while, she read a passage out aloud but more to herself than to Andy.  
"… _so beautiful. I can't stop thinking about you. What am I doing wrong? I am in love with you. I am truly in love with you_ …"  
"… _that filthy Lieutenant of yours isn't worth your time. You're mine_." Sharon looked up from the phone and looked at Andy who was a little worried that showing Sharon all the letters at once might have been a little too much for her. She looked paler again and continued to pale as she continued reading.  
" _I'm begging you, don't bring him home with you anymore or I must take more serious steps to keep you safe_ – Andy, that guy is a stalker", Sharon stated, "how did I not notice a stalker?!"  
Andy took his phone out of Sharon's hands and then took her hand into his.  
"How could I not notice", Sharon whispered again and shook her head.  
"There was no way you could have known without opening the letters", Andy said without judgement.  
"Where did they find them?"  
"In the bottom drawer of your desk at home."  
"Oh my god, Andy. That's where I put all the low-priority mail. Things have been so hectically that I didn't get to go through it for, I don't know, months probably."  
"I know", Andy smiled sympathetically. He knew why Sharon was so upset: if she had read the letters there might have been a chance to avoid the brutal attack on Sharon.  
"Any traces?" Sharon asked.  
"None whatsoever, sadly."  
"I can't believe this."  
"We are doing everything we can to find this guy", Andy said, "as a matter of fact, if it's ok with you, I'd like to join the rest of the team for a couple of hours today while the kids are here."  
"Of course. Can you tell the kids to bring me my laptop?"  
"Sharon, I know that we made a deal but you're not really in the state to be working."  
"I can't just sit here and do nothing. There must be some kind of hints besides the letters about who this person is. If I can just read through the material Tao, Sykes and Sanchez have gathered I might remember something."  
Andy was still skeptical and knew that the doctors prohibited her screen time and labor due to the concussion but was also aware that Sharon was still drowsy and probably wouldn't last very long without falling asleep.  
"Fine", he gave in.  
"Thank you", Sharon murmured, already worn out by their long conversation, "you should go home, take a shower and get some real rest. You look exhausted."  
"I'm not leaving before the kids are here", Andy stated simply.  
"I'm just gonna fall asleep anyway", Sharon grimaced.  
"Still. I don't want you here alone."  
"In case you haven't noticed, there are two heavily armed policemen in front of my room and I'm sure the kids will be here shortly. I'm serious Andy, you need some rest before you do anything else and I can't if I have to worry about your wellbeing", Sharon argued while squeezing Andy's hand lightly.  
"Are you sure?" Andy asked.  
"Yes, I'm sure."

Almost directly after Andy left, a nurse checked on Sharon and shortly afterwards a doctor examined her.  
"We'll have to wait for the lab results to be sure but I'm confident that GHB is almost out of your system, you seem much clearer."  
"I feel much clearer", Sharon agreed. "  
"How bad is the pain? Do you need more pain relievers?"  
"No, I'd rather not be numbed again. I can deal with the pain."  
"All right then. We'll see how the lab results are and then we might be able to start discussing your release."  
"That's great."

A little later Emily, Ricky and Rusty arrived at the hospital with pajamas, Sharon's laptop, her robe and tablet.  
In the meantime, the team was working their hardest and shortly after Andy arrived had their first significant breakthrough.


	7. Chapter 7

_You guys are just great! Thank you so, so much for commenting the last chapter, it truly "made my day"! I hope you'll like this update too and again, feel free to tell me what you think._

"That's her! That's her!" Provenza yelled so loud that Buzz besides him cringed.  
"Finally," Buzz murmured. They had been going through video material for hours ever since they found Sharon and now finally had a tape on which Sharon's car could clearly be identified. It showed her crossing a crossway in a region that was way off her normal way home but close to the place they found her car.  
"I don't believe it", Provenza mumbled.  
"A patrol car", Buzz shook his head in disbelief. The scene was short but long enough to finally get some significant information. It showed that Sharon had been followed by a patrol car, with its high beams on. The distance between Sharon and the car behind her was way too short.  
"Unbelievable", Provenza murmured still in disbelieve while Buzz was informing the rest of the team. As soon as everyone saw the tape they swarmed out like busy bees. Andy drove off to the hospital to show Sharon the tape in person. He found her in her hospital bed, surrounded by all three of her children. Ricky was just telling a joke or something because they all started to laugh.

"Hey", Andy greeting them as he entered the room.  
"Andy", Sharon smiled and let him kiss her forehead.  
"How are you holding up?" Andy asked.  
"I'm ok. Doctor said the GHB is as good as out of my blood and that I might be able to go home tomorrow."  
"Well if that isn't good news."  
Andy pulled another chair next to the bed and sat down. With Emily seated on the bed at Sharon's feet, Ricky on one side, Rusty and Andy on the other Sharon felt more guarded than ever – it was a good feeling.  
"How about you? Any news I don't know about yet?"  
"As a matter of fact there are."  
"What is it?" Ricky asked first.  
Andy took his phone out again and showed Sharon the video. "Oh my god", Sharon whispered. She finally knew for sure that the high beams were what caused her to remember nothing but lightness. Unfortunately the light of the car behind her was so bright that the person driving the car could not be seen.  
The three kids looked at their mother wordlessly. Neither of them knew what one should say in a situation like this.  
"I know it's a lot to ask but is there any chance that this video is bringing back memories?" Andy broke the silence.  
Sharon shook her head: "I wish there was. But there's nothing new coming to my mind. Andy, I don't understand. Do you think it was a police officer that was following me? Or did someone steal the car as a good cover? It could also just be a parole officer that was trying to make me stop. I don't get it."  
"Well, all I can say at this point is, that everyone is working hard on finding the answers to those questions. But Sharon: this is good. We are getting closer", Andy reassured his girlfriend and squeezed her hand.  
Sharon only hummed her famous hum and let her head sink into the pillow. "Hey mom, why don't we get some lunch and in the meantime, you get some rest?" Emily suggested.  
"That might be a good idea", Sharon said without really opening her eyes. She was exhausted already again.  
"Do you want us to bring you anything to eat besides that hospital food?" Ricky asked.  
"No thank you honey, I can't really stomach anything yet", Sharon declined and moments later she and Andy were alone in the room.  
"Andy, can you do me a favor?"  
"Always."  
"Can you help me change into my pajamas. I need to get out of that hospital gown but I didn't want to ask any of the kids because I didn't want to see…" Sharon started to explain herself but Andy interrupted her: "of course."  
He got the pajamas and laid them on the sink in the bathroom that bordered on Sharon's hospital room. Then he walked over to Sharon again and helped her sit on one side of the bed. Sharon grimaced because her rips were causing brutal pain.  
"Can you get up?" Andy asked. He noticed her pain but bit his tongue and didn't say anything about it. Sharon nodded and with Andy's arm around her waist she got up and made a couple of steps before she needed to stop. Andy looked at her questioning.  
"Dizzy."  
"Can you make it to the bathroom?"  
Sharon nodded and a while later she was seated on the toilet lit. With Andy's help she took the gown off and Andy couldn't help himself but whispered: "Jesus, Sharon", when he saw the nasty bruising on Sharon's torso. Sharon looked down on herself as much as she could without moving too much. "Well as we said: it'll only get better from here." Andy helped her into loose Yoga Pants and a T-Shirt and supported her freshen up a little.  
"All right, back to bed?"  
"Back to bed", Sharon agreed and was glad that Andy was there to support her on the way.  
When Sharon was settled down in bed and feeling a little better Andy phone rang. Sharon was dozing off to sleep and overheard less than the half of what Andy said but that was enough to understand that they had been able to identified the exact car that had been following her.  
"All right, that's good", Andy stated before he hung up. He looked over to Sharon to find out whether or not she was asleep.  
"I heard", Sharon murmured.  
"Sanchez and Sykes are on their way to the cops that were supposed to be driving the car that night."  
"Good", Sharon whispered. Andy thought she was already asleep when she said: "Andy?"  
"Yes?"  
"I want police protection for my kids", she said quietly.  
"They already have it", Andy smiled. He had been waiting for Sharon to ask for protection for her kids.  
"Hm. Great minds think alike I guess", Sharon whispered, "how about you? He had been openly threatening you in one of the letters."  
"I am taking good care of myself, Love", Andy smiled and even in her beaten up condition Sharon's heart skipped a beat when Andy called her Love. She still wasn't used to it and even hoped a little that she never would be.  
"Besides, we went over the letters with Dr. Joe and he thinks that nobody besides you is in real danger. He believes that the attack on you was his way to keep you safe. You know, away from me, sort of branded by him with the bullshit he wrote on your leg", Andy started to get emotional and did his best to pull himself together.  
"Well, that's good", Sharon whispered before she felt asleep. And Andy looked at his girlfriend with love, awe and respect. He didn't know any other person that would say "that's good" in a situation like that. But as long as her loved ones are ok, so was Sharon. That's how she worked.

A little while later Ricky, Emily and Rusty came back with lunch for Andy and Sharon after all.  
"Thanks you guys", Andy said while unpacking the sandwich. He hadn't even noticed how hungry he was.  
"How is she doing?" Emily whispered so that Sharon wouldn't wake up.  
Andy took a sip of his water before he answered: "I think she isn't able to wrap her head around everything quiet yet. I'm a little worried that it'll come crashing down on her as soon as we catch this guy."  
"When do you think that'll be?" Ricky asked.  
"Hard to say. But I'm hoping we can manage before Sharon is released from the hospital."  
"Why?" Rusty asked who was standing at the end of Sharon's bed, watching her sleeping.  
"The hospital is easier to keep safe", Andy answered, his voice starting to become thick with worry. Now all eyes focused on Sharon.  
"Don't worry. We won't let anything happen to her again. I'm just saying", Andy tried to calm the three. Without much luck. Emily sat down at the end of the bed again while Ricky sat down on the chair next to Sharon and took her hand into his. Rusty sat down on the other side of Sharon when Andy asked: "Is it all right if I leave you alone with her for a while?"  
"Sure", Emily answered first.  
So, Andy drove off to meet the team while the kids stayed besides their mother, waiting for something to happen. She slept for a while so the three gathered around the table in the hospital room and quietly started to play cards.  
"No… no…", Sharon started murmuring in her sleep and shifted under the blankets.  
Rusty was closest to her so he got up and gently laid a hand on her shoulder: "Mom, it's ok. You're just dreaming."  
"I can't… no… please… my kids…", Sharon was still kept in the darkness of her nightmare and Rusty started shaking her a little while Ricky and Emily stood up from their chairs.  
"Pleeeease", Sharon kept begging.  
"Mom, come on, wake up, you're dreaming", Emily stood next to Rusty now. They were starting to freak out a little by seeing their mother in such distress.  
Emily squeezed her hand a little and finally Sharon woke up jerking. Her hands were shaking a little and she was sweating and panting.  
Ricky got a wet washcloth for her forehead so that she could cool down while Emily said: "It's ok mom, you were only dreaming."  
Ricky handed Rusty the cloth who placed it on her forehead.  
"Thank you", Sharon murmured when she felt the relieving cold. She took a deep breath in and out and it was clear that she was coming back to reality.  
"You OK?" Ricky asked.  
"Yeah, thanks. Just a dream", Sharon smiled weakly. Everyone was still for a couple of moments while Sharon gathered herself.  
"We were playing a round of cards, you wanna play?" Rusty asked in an attempt to change the subject.  
"Sure, why not", Sharon accepted gratefully.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

It was before dinner time when the kids came back to the hospital and Andy left to help the team. "You want something else than that hospital food?" Rusty asked when a nurse brought Sharon's dinner.

"No thank you honey", Sharon shook her head and again only nibbled on some bread. Emily had brought a couple of DVDs so soon they were snuggled up as good as possible and watched a movie, even though Sharon's thoughts kept drifting off. She really wanted to call Andy to ask how things were going but she didn't want to disturb the team either. She had made a second deal with Andy and part of it was that he would come by in person to tell her if there were any important news. They were halfway through the movie when Andy finally arrived again. This time Provenca accompanied him.  
"Hey Captain, how are you doing?" Provenza asked.  
"Better, thank you Lieutenant", Sharon smiled quiet fake.  
"Good. Well, we have a couple of news", Provenza said, "we interrogated Ruck. His alibi is waterproof. He picked up the car, delivered it at the mechanic and was there picked up by his girlfriend. They ate out, partied. A dozen of people saw him. There is no way that he is our guy." The little hope Sharon had shattered down. 24 hours since she was had found passed – everyone in the room knew that from now one things would get more difficult.  
"All right", Sharon nodded faintly, "so that leaves us where?"  
"The mechanic, what's his name?" Andy asked Provenza.  
"Mark Cooper."  
"So, Mr. Cooper said, that shortly after the car was dropped off, another police officer came in, said that there had been a mistake and that the car was fine. Cooper of course let him take the car."  
"Does he remember the name of the officer?" Sharon asked.  
"No. But he is right now sitting down with an illustrator to create a composite sketch of the man."  
"Good", Sharon commented.  
"We'll get this guy, Captain", Provenza reassured.  
"I know. The sooner the better", Sharon replied.  
Provenza excused himself and Sharon waited for the composite sketch. It got later and later and finally Sharon fell asleep again.  
"You guys should go home and get some rest. I'll stay with her for the night", Andy said quietly.  
"You haven't been getting any real sleep in the last 24 hours, we can stay here. You go home and get some sleep", Emily suggested.  
"As much as I would like to do that, I want to be here when the sketch is done", Andy sighted.  
"Right", Emily nodded. She had forgotten about that.  
"What do you think guys, do you want to go home?"  
"I guess Mom could use some peace and quiet", Ricky shrugged his shoulders.  
"Yeah. But call us, if you find anything out", Rusty said.  
"Of course", Andy nodded.

It was a while after the three left when Tao sent Andy the sketch via E-Mail. Sharon was still asleep and Andy hated waking her up. But he knew that she wouldn't want it any other way.  
"Sharon, wake up", he said gently while stroking her cheek. Sharon immediately woke up.  
"What is it?"  
"We got the sketch", Andy said and again, gave her his phone. Sharon looked at the face. And looked. And looked. Andy bit his tongue and gave her the time she needed.  
"God Andy", Sharon sighted frustrated, "I don't know. I don't know."  
"Talk me through it", Andy encouraged her. He sat down on the chair next to her.  
"That face. It's familiar. But I don't know if I just WANT to think that."  
"Don't think too much about it. Just tell me what comes to your mind."  
"It's something from the past. Nothing recent. At least 15-20 years ago. It has something to do with work."  
"Like a colleague or someone you just met during work?"  
"I'm not sure. Like I said, it was over a decade ago, Andy. It's just that face that seems so familiar. I just can't be sure, it's so vague."  
"Don't work yourself up about it, just keep it in mind, maybe you will remember more with time."  
"Yeah", Sharon agreed, not taking her eyes of the picture. The night was uneventful. Sharon got some painkillers for the night that also made her very sleepy so she could sleep through the night. Before she felt asleep she told Andy: "If you are not going home tonight then please sleep in bed with me."  
"Sharon, I –", Andy started talking but Sharon already knew what he was going to say so she interrupted him: "You are not going to hurt me. I have such a high dose of painkillers in my system right now, I can barely feel my toes."  
Andy tilted his head and Sharon could tell that he was overthinking.  
"Andy, please. I could use you by my side", Sharon finally said. And without another word, Andy took off his shoes, carefully and gently embraced Sharon and felt asleep.

It was an uneventful night. The team made slow progress to identify the sketched man. Sharon slept through the night and apart from her hurting body she felt freshened and so did Andy.  
After waking up Andy talked to Tao shortly but there were no important news. Then the doctor examined Sharon and allowed her to go home.  
"But you need to take the bed-rest very seriously, no walking around more than absolutely necessary, avoid any exertions. Your body needs the rest. I'll give you enough painkillers to get you through the next week and then you should get a checkup at your general practitioner."  
Sharon nodded. She was just glad that she would go home. Reluctantly she even let a nurse drive her to Andy's car in a wheelchair where he helped her into the carseat. At her front door, two police officers were already guarding her condo. Inside, Sharon's kids had made her favorite pasta and all five of them gathered in the living room and – against Sharon's house rules – ate their noodles on the couch and armchairs. Even Sharon could stomach half a plate and felt much better in the privacy of her home. After everyone finished eating Sharon excused herself and took a much needed long hot bath. When Sharon joined her family in the living room she was dressed in a new pair of yoga pants and a black top with a comfortable cashmere cardigan on top of it. She walked towards the armchair when Rusty cleared his throat and simply said: "Bedrest", while he looked towards the couch.  
"Right", Sharon sighted as she changed direction and laid down on the couch. "Where are Emily and Ricky?" Sharon asked.  
"Running some errands", Rusty answered.  
Andy got out of the kitchen and handed Sharon a cop of steaming tea.  
"Thank you", Sharon took the cup and warmed her fingers, that just weren't warming up.

Just as she was succeeding in not thinking about the man that had been stalking her, Emily and Ricky got back. They looked like they had seen a ghost.  
"What happened?" Sharon asked right the second they got inside. Wordlessly Ricky held up a small envelope. Sharon turned pale and sat up to quick which resulted in her ribs rebelling. She groaned frustrated because she couldn't get up before the pain was better. When her vision was clear again, Andy already took the envelope from Ricky and Emily put a hand on her mother's shoulder. Rusty looked from Andy to Sharon and waited for someone to do something.  
"Andy, give me the letter", Sharon said through clenched teeth. Hesitating Andy handed her the paper. With a tissue, so that no more fingerprints were left, Sharon opened the envelope and read. Her stomach was about to flip and she took a deep breath in when she pulled a picture out. Without a word she handed Andy the letter and photo back and leaned back.  
" _My Rose,  
I'm sorry I had to cut off a couple of your beautiful leaves but I just needed you to see that you need me. I was serious when I said that you should not let anyone but me into your home and I just wish that you could finally see that. What else do I have to do to make you realize that it's us who's meant to be together? All these years, my dearest beauty, all these years we have missed. But now it's time for us to be together until the end. The very end."_ Andy read out aloud, "that sick son of a…! How did he… how could nobody notice that somebody took a picture from us?!"

"Show the picture", Rusty said and Andy held the picture up. It showed Andy and Sharon lying together in the hospital bed, Sharon snuggled up in Andy's arms.

 _Hey everyone,  
Thanks for reading! Things are getting serious for Sharon, I hope you liked the update - please leave a comment!  
There are probably 3-4 chapters ahead of us until the end of this story. So if there is anything you would like to be integrated into this story, feel free to message me now:)_


	9. Chapter 9

Andy put the letter in a plastic bag and sent a picture to the team.  
Sharon leaned back into the cushions of the couch and tried to steady her breathing. She blocked out her surroundings entirely, didn't notice the existence of her children and boyfriend. It was the only thing that saved her from feeling completely naked and vulnerable. Everyone else in the room waited for her to do something. And then finally Sharon got up very slowly and walked towards her bedroom without saying a word. There she closed the door and curtains and sat down at the end of her bed, starting to come out of her frozen state. Her mind started racing: How? When? Why? Then Andy entered the room, without knowing what to say. So he sat down next to her on the bed wordlessly and took her hand into his.  
"What are you thinking?" Andy finally broke the silence.  
Sharon hummed.  
"I'm not sure. I feel so vulnerable, Andy."  
Andy nodded.  
"We will get this guy", he ensured him, it was like a mantra that kept him breathing. _We are going to find you._  
"I know that, but honestly Andy, I absolutely underestimated him. I would have sworn that he hadn't been near us since the attack. I just – I just underestimated him", Sharon repeated herself, sighting.  
 _So did I,_ Andy thought.  
"The good thing is, that he is putting himself out there. He is getting sloppy. There will be leads, people must have seen him at the hospital and he couldn't have avoided the security cameras."  
Sharon nodded faintly.  
"Is it OK if I drop the letter and photograph off myself?" he asked, meaning the letter.  
"Of course", Sharon nodded.  
"Are you sure? Because I can call someone to pick it up right now."  
"No, that's all right", Sharon murmured. They both walked towards the living room and Sharon kissed him goodbye in the hallway.  
"Be careful", she whispered.  
"I'll be back as soon as I can." Andy kissed Sharon and then hurried away.  
"So, what now?" Rusty broke the emerging silence.  
"Nothing much, Rusty. Nothing much. It was to be expected that new letters would come in at some point", Sharon answered while joining her kids in the living room.  
"And the picture?" Ricky asked.  
Sharon only hummed and the kids understood the clue to let the theme drop.  
"Is there anything we can do for you, mom?" Emily asked.  
"It's getting late. Why don't you get some sleep?"  
"And leave you out her brooding?" Rusty said with raised eyebrows, "No way."  
"I'm gonna go to bed too. There's nothing we can do right now." Even though Sharon had no intentions of sleeping she carefully got up again. She knew that none of the kids would go to bed while she was still in the living room. It took her a while but a little later she was situated more or less comfortably in her bed. Her kids kept fussing over her, bringing her water, tea, tissues, the phone and so one until Sharon chuckled and said: "Thank you. I have everything I need."  
"Call us, if there is anything else you could use", Rusty said.  
"I will, I promise."  
"Goodnight mom", Emily said and kissed her on the cheek.  
"Goodnight honey."  
Ricky and Rusty followed Emily's example and then Sharon was alone. She knew she wasn't supposed to read due to her concussion but it was the first time she had some peace and quiet since hours and she was eager to go through all the material her team had gathered up to that point. She went through the files, one after the other.  
"Who are you", Sharon whispered to herself.

When Andy got back home hours later, Sharon was asleep with the files around her on top of the bed-sheets. Andy gathered the files and piled them up on the nightstand. Then he gently took of her glasses, placed a kiss on her forehead, dimmed the light and went to the bathroom to get changed and ready for bed. He got into bed next to Sharon and turned the lights completely off. The next time Andy woke up the sun hasn't risen yet. It was still pitch-dark and Andy couldn't tell what woke him up at first. But then he knew. It was Sharon, shifting, panting and murmuring in her sleep.  
"Shh, Sharon, honey, you're dreaming", Andy tried to sooth her but Sharon was still held captive by her nightmare so Andy shook her a little. His touch was enough for Sharon to shoot up. She opened her eyes but didn't seem like she realized where she are when she whimpered: "no, no, no, don't, please don't, I can't, please", frantically.  
"Sharon, come on, wake up, it's me, you are safe", Andy said in a demanding voice until he got through to her and wincing, Sharon finally woke up completely only to be then agonized by the pain her movement had caused in her rib-cage and head. She stayed seated, leaned forward a little and tried to calm her breathing. Andy, who was desperate to help Sharon, laid a hand on her back but didn't say anything at first.  
"Better?" he asked after a few moments and Sharon nodded.  
"You wanna talk about it?" Andy asked while helping her back into a laying position.  
"There's nothing to talk about", Sharon answered hoarsely but Andy didn't want to let go.  
"What was your nightmare about? I'm so sorry to ask Sharon, but it might be able to help us find the –", Andy was defending his question but there was no need so Sharon interrupted him: "They aren't about anything specific. Just dark and rough. But nothing realistic."  
"All right, OK", Andy murmured while thinking about what he could do to help her. Sharon read his thoughts: "There is nothing we can do about it either. Dreams pass, you know that as well as I do."  
"But this is different, Sharon. You are dealing with memory loss here, you know that what happened to you cannot be compared to what we deal with due to our job."  
"Well, if feels comparable to me", Sharon wanted Andy to let it go. She wasn't in the mood to discuss the possible emotional effects the attack had on her. Not yet.  
Andy knew that he was going to start a fight and so he just said "Fine". Sharon was torn between feeling bad about treating Andy so harsh and being glad that he stopped pushing her into talking.  
"I just need some time", Sharon whispered as an apology.  
"I know."

The next day Sharon was up before Andy and slowly made her way out of the bed without waking him up. She made coffee, got her phone and sat down on the couch while checking her messages. They had been successful at locating the copy shop where the photo had been printed, whoever had sent it probably had thought that it was safer then printing it at home. But now the team was checking if anyone saw him in the store and could possibly identify him.

Sharon got up again to fill herself a cup of coffee and to start making breakfast when Rusty came into the kitchen, still sleepy.  
"Morning Mom", he murmured while taking out another cup for his coffee.  
"Good morning", Sharon smiled and filled his cup too.  
"You weren't planning on making breakfast, were you?" Rusty looked at mother.  
"Rusty, you realize that I'm not invalid, do you?"  
"I do realize that but I also realize is that you are on bed-rest. No more running around than necessary, remember?"  
"Rusty", Sharon sighted but she saw in Rusty's eyes that he was having none of it.  
"If I were you, you would have tied me to my bed!" Rusty exclaimed.  
"Oh, I wouldn't have!"  
"Hell yes, you would have", Ricky chuckled. He entered the kitchen and gave Sharon a good morning kiss on the cheek.  
"He's right. Go lay down on the couch, we'll make breakfast", Ricky then said and laid a hand on Sharon's back to guide her to the living room.  
"Fine", Sharon said, starting to feel a little trapped by her beloved ones.

For breakfast – which was eaten in the living area so that Sharon could stay on the couch - Andy and Emily joined the rest of the family.  
"So, Emily, Ricky, how long do I have the pleasure of having all of my children under one roof?" Sharon asked after she put her plate on the coffee table.  
"Are you trying to get rid of us already, mom?" Ricky joked.  
Sharon tilted her head and rolled her eyes which was a movement she regretted a little afterwards because she was still suffering from bad headaches.

"Well, I think I could explain my boss the situation and get a couple more days off before I have to get back into training", Emily said with a guilty look on her face. Just the thought of leaving her mother alone in such a situation made her feel bad, even though she wasn't exactly alone.  
"Em, there is no need for you to feel bad about having to go back to New York. As much as I love having you here and as much as it helps I understand that you need to get back. And I will be fine", Sharon smiled.  
"Are you sure?"  
"I am sure", Sharon nodded, "when would you have to leave?"  
"Well, I could get on a plane tonight and attend the next training tomorrow. But that's so rushed", Emily sighted.  
"Sweetheart, don't worry. You will leave tonight then. I am truly OK with that."  
Emily blinked away a couple of tears.  
"How about you, Ricky?"  
"I actually have a meeting tomorrow morning in NY and thought about taking the same flight as Emily. I can get back directly afterwards though, there's not much going on these days."  
Sharon nodded, she liked the idea of her two kids flying together. Even if there was no immediate threat for them, she was a little relieved to know that they were going to be safe.  
"That sounds like a plan", she said.  
"And you are sure that's ok?" Emily asked one more time.  
"I am", Sharon confirmed again.  
"We'll take good care of her", Andy promised and Rusty nodded.

Sharon enjoyed the last day with all her children together as much as she could. The team moved along very slowly and with difficulties and Andy was with them all day. When it was time for Ricky and Emily to get to the airport Sharon talked Rusty into taking them.  
"Kids, I am going to survive two hours alone. Besides, I am not even alone, I have two police officers right in front of my door. Rusty will drive you and that's the end of the discussion!" Sharon demanded and her children gave in.

As Sharon closed the door behind them after they said their goodbyes, Sharon took a deep breath in and laid a hand on her rib-cage. Just breathing in deeply already hurt. She slowly made her way to the bathroom to take a shower. She just turned it on when she heard a noise coming from outside the bathroom.  
"Andy? Is that you?" she asked through the closed door but there was no answer back so Sharon thought she imagined the noise.

Thank you soooo so much for your wonderful reviews on the last chapters, they encourage me so much! Thank you!


	10. Chapter 10

**WARNING: BAD LANGUAGE AND VIOLENCE AHEAD**

Sharon was enjoying the peace and quiet that surrounded her in the shower. As much as she truly loved having her children and Andy around, Sharon had always been that kind of person that needed time to herself occasionally, and especially with everything that happened she could use some alone time to wrap her head around things. While washing her hair, she thought about the last couple of days. There were more than dozens of people that she had displeased in the course of her work, many, many men and women she had met and forgotten. Sharon was unable to point anyone out that had been behaving suspiciously towards her – it was part of her job to work with suspicious people every day. But what bothered her the most was that she didn't realize that someone had obviously been following her. Someone had taken pictures of her, even in the hospital when there was security around. Who was that person? Still caught in her thoughts Sharon got out of the shower with wobbly legs. She dried herself of as good as possible and with avoiding pressure on the black and blue bruises on her body. Sharon than smeared a little steam away from the mirror, just enough so that she could see the entire extent of her injuries. Pictures came into her mind, feet kicking her, hands beating into her flesh. With shaking hands, Sharon put on one of Andy's shirts and a pair of her famous yoga pants. She starting combing her hair when she heard something again, this time for sure.

"Andy, I'm in the bathroom", Sharon said loudly. It could only be him, since the kids were still on their way. When nobody answered, Sharon finished combing her hair and then slowly got out of the bathroom. Just taking a shower took so much of her energy that she was ready to lay down again. She wondered about the fact that the lights were out in the little hallway, she was pretty sure that she hadn't turned them off.  
"Andy?"  
"I told you, don't let that filth back in here again. I told you Sharon, I told you", a monotone voice came from the living room. Sharon immediately stiffened. Andy wasn't here. Rusty wasn't. But the man that had attacked her a couple of nights ago, was here. In her home. Sharon's brain turned into work mode. Gun – she needed her gun. Her gun from the LAPD was in her safe, there was no way she would be able to get that. But she had another one in her nightstand. Andy had put it there the day she came home from the hospital.  
"Don't you hear me?" the man raised his voice, frustrated that Sharon hadn't answered him.  
"Yes, yes, I hear you", Sharon answered, still not moving but trying to please the invader.  
"Why did you let him in again, why?" the manly voice whimpered. Sharon's eyes were starting to get used to the darkness and she made a careful and silent step towards the living room so that she could see her enemy. She saw him sitting on her couch. Roses were covering the coffee table. Sharon was desperately trying to find the right words but her head was empty so the man said: "Didn't I tell you to stay away from him? Didn't I make it clear that it's us, you and me, that need to be together?"  
"Yes, you made that clear", Sharon murmured, scanning the room for something she could use to knock the man down.  
"Then why didn't you listen? I thought I knocked some senses back into you but apparently not enough", the man hissed.  
"You mean Tuesday night?" Sharon asked, meaning the night of her attack.  
"Yes. That is exactly what I mean. I didn't like having to treat you like that, Sharon, but you are not leaving me any chance. And I hoped, I really hoped that you would finally learn your lesson", the stranger kept rambling frantically.  
"I didn't mean to anger you."  
"Maybe. But you did. I am so, so angry", he hissed, "and I am afraid that there is nothing anyone can do about it anymore."

The man stood up and slowly walked towards Sharon. She felt threatened and unprotected. She made a step back but there was already the wall of the hallway behind her.  
"I don't want to do this Sharon, I really don't. But you leave me no choice", the intruder said while taking a gun out of his pocket.  
"Who are you?" Sharon aspirated. She knew that she needed him to talk, it was her only chance.  
"Who I am? You really don't know?"  
"What's your name?"  
"Alexander O'Riley – how dare you even ask? I'm your soulmate, that's who I am. Don't you see it, don't you finally see it?"  
 _Alexander O'Riley. Of course,_ Sharon thought and finally memories came back to her, memories from many, many years ago. She moved to the side a little, towards her bedroom. With every step that she took back, Alexander made one towards her.  
"Yes, I see it now", Sharon murmured.  
"All that hours we've spent together, all that time I dedicated to you – I wouldn't have done that if I were just your friend, Sharon, would I?" Alexander bellowed, suddenly losing his temper. He came so close that Sharon smelled his breath. It was a smell she remembered all too well from Jack. He had been drinking.  
"No, of course you wouldn't have", Sharon answered his question and backed off a little. Alexander reacted by directing a punch at Sharon's face. She had been expecting that though and could evade in time, ignoring the pain. Alexander's fist landed in the picture that hung on the wall behind Sharon, the glass shattered to the ground. Sharon used the distraction and tried to hurry to her bedroom where she knew the gun was waiting for her. But she couldn't get away fast enough. Alexander caught up, grabbed her by her hair, forced her around, struck her cheek with the gun in his hand while still holding her hair and kept holding it so that they stood face to face. Sharon cursed the malfunction of her body as blackness disturbed her vision. Her head was throbbing by the ruthless impact.  
"How dare you walk away from me when I am talking to you", Alexander hissed, "I have spent hours listening to your whining about your failure husband. Now you listen to me!"  
Sharon winced in pain but said: "All right. Let me go and I'll listen."  
With a jerk Alexander let her go and Sharon held on to the doorframe of her bedroom door because she still couldn't see clearly. Alexander looked at Sharon with disgust.  
"You know Sharon, after everything with Jack, I could faintly understand why you weren't ready to face the truth of our destiny. That you needed time. And now, after all those years, I finally come back and what do I see? You involved with that son of a bitch! How could you betray me like that, how could you?!"  
"Alex, I'm sorry for hurting you, that wasn't my intention. But so much time had passed, I didn't think you would ever come back", Sharon lied in an attempt to calm him.  
"Oh come on, you know that's now true you little whore. You just couldn't wait to throw your arm around the next possible man!" Alexander screamed and stormed towards Sharon, thrusting her to the ground before he kicked her in her already aching ribs. She saw black again, unable to breath. Just when she thought Alexander was done, he kicked her one more time in the spine so hard that she felt like her back was broken.

Alexander started shaking, looked at Sharon nervously and then started walking up and down her bedroom. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to kick you. But you aren't allowed to lie to me, do you hear me? That's what you get for lying."  
Sharon stayed lying on the floor, even though the adrenaline starting to kick in again and she felt like she would be able to move again. She was close enough to the nightstand with the gun so she waited for the right moment to get it before Alexander could do anything about it. First, she wanted to get him talking again.  
"Alex, how did you get that photo of Andy and I in the hospital?" Sharon asked, seriously interested.  
Alexander stopped pacing for a moment and just stared at Sharon.  
"Oh my god. You don't get it, do you?! I'm a cop, remember?"  
"Of course I remember", Sharon calmed him, "but there were other officers in front of my room 24/7. How did you take a picture unnoticed?"  
"Well, Sharon, let me explain", Alexander sighted excessively, "you do realize that I have been assigned as a member of your kids security team, do you?"  
Sharon's heart stopped for a moment and she thought she was about to throw up. With every willpower she had, she took a deep breath in, ignored the pain and said: "So you were always around anyhow."  
"Well, I am around since four months now. I was working in Boston for a while but there was a spot open here so I applied and they transferred me. Lucky us, huh? I was so happy to be near you again. But you only had eyes for that Andy and what is it about that Rusty boy? If you wanted more children, you could have just said something, we could have made it work", Alexander seemed to be totally caught up in his own reality. Sharon knew how dangerous that was. She needed to act fast.  
"Thank you for making sure my kids are safe, Alexander. But can you explain to me one more time how you got the picture? And how did you get in here?"  
"How I got the picture? I sent Nick and Larry away to take a five minute break, Sharon. I'm their boss, they could hardly so no to me."  
Sharon started to get the picture. Alexander worked for the security division now, that's how he was able to stay so close to her all this time. And that's why he always knew how to avoid security cameras etc.  
"And the GHB?" Sharon asked.  
"That was easy. You really need to be more careful, Shar. You can't just leave your car unlocked somewhere, even if you are in a hurry. Someone could do something harmful to you. Luckily this time, it was only me", Alexander rambled deliriously. But it was enough information for Sharon to understand, that he had put the GHB in her coffee mug while they had been arresting their suspect, just as they had thought.

Alexander continued to walk up and down the room in front of Sharon, as if he was thinking about what to do next. And Sharon knew, that she would have to determine her own fate in the next minutes because she felt like her body was shutting down and she couldn't afford to lose her consciousness while still being in the hands of a psychopath. So finally, when Alexander was almost at the other side of the room, still walking up and down, Sharon raised as far as possible, tore the drawer of her nightstand open and got the gun out, just before Alexander could reach her.  
"Don't move", Sharon hissed and Alexander froze.  
"You know you aren't going to shoot me", Alexander finally said, "do you really think I don't know how much you hate using a weapon?", he laughed.  
"Many years have passed, Alexander, time changes people."  
"Maybe. But it didn't change you", Alexander murmured while starting to point his gun on Sharon. Now only their weapons and a little air stood between them.  
"You are still as self-centered, egoistic and narrow-minded as ever. You are only interested in your own benefit, aren't you?!"  
"If you know me so well then you know that that isn't the truth", Sharon hissed.  
"STOP LYING TO ME", Alexander yelled, coming closer, "after all you put me through I finally learned that there is only one way for us to finally be together", he now whispered again. Sharon understood what he meant.  
"You don't need to do this", Sharon tried to talk him out of his plans.  
"You know I do. You will never understand that we are meant to be together", Alexander said.

 _First of all: Thank you again for your continuing support on the last chapter, it motivates me so much to update, so thanks!  
I hope this chapter answers many of your questions and that you liked it._


	11. Chapter 11

Then everything happened fast. Sharon saw his index finger twitching and knew that Alexander wasn't going to be distracted by talking anymore. He wanted to get things done and was about to pull the trigger. So Sharon raised her gun a little higher in a split of a second and shot him before he had a chance to achieve his goal. Gasping for air, Sharon leaned back onto the nightstand. She secured the gun with shaking hands.  
"Sharon?! SHARON?" Sharon heard Andy's voice seconds later. She wanted to answer but wasn't able to catch her breath and then Andy already found her.  
"Oh my god, Sharon", Andy murmured while running into the room. He kicked Alexander's gun out of his reaching range, checked for a pulse but never stopped looking at Sharon while doing these things.  
"Is he dead?"  
Andy nodded and then finally kneed down next to Sharon, badly wanting to embrace her and never let her go. He pushed his own needs aside and gently stroked her cheek, put a strain of hair behind her ear to get a better view on her injury. Andy then took out his phone and dialed 911. In the meantime, Sharon was still leaning against the nightstand and bed, trembling.  
"Can you get up?" Andy asked after hanging up. She was jammed between her bed, the nightstand and the dead body of Alexander and Andy wanted her to get out of there.  
"I'm not sure", Sharon whispered. The adrenaline that had saved her life just minutes before was slowly deserting her and she started to shake even worse and was freezing badly. Andy pulled a blanket from Sharon's bed, wrapped it around her and whispered: "Let's get you out of here" and very gently lifted her from the ground. Sharon groaned in pain so Andy whispered again: "I'm sorry, hold on." Sharon nodded, clenched her teeth while Andy carried her into the living room as fast as possible where he laid her down on the couch. Both ignored the fact, that the room was covered in red roses. The smell made Sharon sick to her stomach.  
"What happened to the officers outside my condo?" Sharon murmured.  
"Don't think about that now", Andy said quietly while starting to get impatient. Sharon looked like she was about to pass out and he really needed the ambulance to arrive. He got a wet cloth and pressed it on the nasty gash above her left eye. Sharon flinched but then let him.  
"Andy", she said with a shaking voice.  
"Sh, it's ok now, Sharon. It's over", Andy tried to sooth her.  
He kept pressing the cloth on her head with one hand and with the other he took her ice-cold hand into his. His heart was racing as much as Sharon's.  
Finally, the paramedics and bit by bit every single one of the team arrived in the condo. Everything started to become a little chaotic from that moment on. Sharon didn't notice much of it. She was losing her consciousness as the paramedics laid her on a gurney and didn't wake up until hours later. Andy drove with her to the hospital while everyone else took care of the crime scene and the corpse of the man that had been very close to taking Sharon forever.

When Andy arrived at the hospital, Sharon was already with a doctor that examined her. Andy started pacing up and down that waiting room. Guilt gnawed at his consciousness. They had been trying to keep her safe and still failed. Alexander O'Riley knew exactly when the best timing was for another attack and he hadn't been there to help her. He didn't save her. While he had been busy with tracking the man down that was threatening his girlfriend, that exact man had been with her, hurt her and almost killed her. Andy wanted to punch something. He took two and then three deep breaths in and took his phone out. Rusty should be close to home now, he didn't call him before because he wanted him to drive carefully.  
"Andy? What happened?" Rusty immediately asked when he took the call.  
"Rusty, don't drive home. We're at the hospital, I don't know much more but I think she is going to be ok", Andy said, trying to say something that wouldn't panic the boy. But there wasn't much he could say.  
"Ok", was the only thing Rusty was able to say before they hung up and he sped to the hospital with a racing heart.  
He met Andy in the waiting room, Sharon was still being examined.  
"Andy, what the hell happened?" Rusty stormed into the otherwise empty room.  
"We're not sure yet", Andy sighted, "when I got home, the officers weren't in front of her room anymore. I knew immediately that something was up but when I got inside everything was already over?.  
"What do you mean?"  
"Sharon had already shot the guy."  
"Oh my god", Rusty whispered, as his brain forced pictures of his mother, fighting for her life in her own home in front of his eyes.  
"Yeah", Andy nodded.  
"How is she?" Rusty asked.  
"I don't know. They haven't said a word yet", Andy shrugged his shoulders.  
"She's going to be all right, right?" Rusty panicked.  
"I think so", Andy said vaguely and walked towards Rusty, whom he carefully embraced. To his surprise, Rusty didn't back away, he didn't stiffen. He let Andy hold him for a couple of moments and it was the first time since many years that Rusty let a man (besides Gus) so close. But Andy was family, now more than ever.

"Lieutenant?" the doctor that had treated Sharon before entered to room and Andy let Rusty go.  
"Yes?"  
"Captain Raydor got lucky. Due to the impact on her head she now has a severe concussion but very, very luckily no internal bleedings. Unfortunately, one rib cracked, probably as a result of massive kicks", the doctor was quiet for a moment, dealing with acts of violence like these never got easier, "and her left kidney shows some bruising."  
"What does that mean?" Rusty asked.  
"As far as we could see, the bruising isn't severe. That means that she will experience pain in her flank and lower back but fortunately there are no signs of ruptures so there is no need to operate right now. Due to the swelling, it is possible that we were unable to see minor tissue ruptures so we will keep a close eye on her."  
"So she is going to be ok?"  
"We are optimistic, yes", the doctor nodded, "we will keep her here for, I would say at least a week to make sure the kidneys are well functioning. After that she must stay on bedrest for at least another week."  
"All right, thank you doctor", Andy said.  
"Can we see her now?" Rusty asked.  
"Of course", the doctor nodded and told them where to find her.

 _Finally the update so many of you were waiting for, thank you so, so much for reviewing the last chapter, it is so much fun for me to read your reviews! So, Sharon is safe now and we know most of what had happened. Now tell me, do you want a few chapters about how Sharon is dealing with the aftermath? Tell me what you think and want and I'll keep writing._


	12. Chapter 12

Andy and Rusty quietly entered Sharon's hospital room. They found her – again – as pale as the white sheets, lying in bed, sleeping what seemed to be peacefully but both knew that that was only due to the drugs the doctor had given her. Andy sighted loudly, placed a kiss on Sharon's forehead and then sat down on the chair in the corner of the room. Rusty sat down directly besides his mother's bed and looked at his mom. This wasn't how it's supposed to be. Sharon had always made sure, that Rusty was safe. She was the mother, so in Rusty's eyes, Sharon was invincible. Seeing her suffer like that made him cringe.  
"Andy, do you think she is going to be all right?"  
Andy looked at Rusty and was a little surprised. It wasn't often that Rusty opened up like that towards him.  
"Yes, I think she is going to be fine", Andy nodded but could see that Rusty wasn't convinced yet.  
"Look, I knew this is… a lot. But Sharon has already overcome a lot in her life – she is tough. She isn't going to let this bring her down. It will take some time and I am not saying that it will be easy for Sharon but we will be there to help her in that process. She will be all right."  
"Someone wanted to kill her, Andy", Rusty said in a shaking voice.  
"Yeah", Andy nodded faintly. Rusty was still worried so Andy said: "but it's not the first time and probably won't be the last time as long as she continues to work for the LAPD."  
"But this is different", Rusty argued, "this wasn't because of your jobs. This had not much to do with the LAPD. Someone got into our home and planned… you know. This man didn't react in the heat of the moment."  
Andy sighted again: "I know what you mean. And honestly, there's not much I can say. You're right. This is different. But I honestly believe that this isn't going to break Sharon. And it's not going to have any effect on our relationships with her. Just look at what you went through, Rusty. Sharon will get through this too."  
Rusty knew that Andy's words came from an honest place and nodded. There wasn't much talking for the next hours. Andy called the team and updated them on Sharon's wellbeing while Rusty informed Ricky and Emily. They were both more than upset but Rusty could convince them not to get back on the next plane since there wasn't much they could do for Sharon right now anyhow. He promised to have Sharon call them as soon as she felt up to it.

And finally, after what felt like an eternity, Sharon started to shift. Andy had fallen asleep uncomfortably in the chair and immediately woke up.  
It took a couple of minutes until Sharon opened her eyes a little.  
"Hey mom", Rusty whispered gently. Andy got up and stroke her cheek. Sharon smiled faintly: "Hey."  
"It's good to see you awake", Andy murmured and Sharon hummed. She was still half asleep.  
Rusty got up to get some ice and a nurse while Andy stayed with Sharon.  
"What -?" Sharon only said and Andy didn't need more from her to know what she wanted.  
"You remember Alexander O'Riley getting into the condo?"  
Sharon nodded and ask with a raspy voice: "How?"  
"Well, you may remember that he was working for the security division since a couple of months. The kids' and your guards? They all knew and trusted him."  
"But-" Sharon started and again, Andy interrupted her: "But the guards in front of the condo had special orders to not let anyone inside that wasn't on the list we put together? That's right. Even though they knew O'Riley as well, apparently one guard, Peterson, went downstairs to check with his immediate supervisor whether O'Riley was allowed to go in. They were skeptical. Unfortunately not enough. While Peterson was away O'Riley knocked the other guard out. But don't worry, it seems like he going to be just fine."  
Sharon was relieved to hear that.  
"You remember what happened in the condo?" Andy asked carefully.  
"Yeah, I remember. Is he dead?"  
"Yes. He died…", Andy didn't know how to put it. In your bedroom? Next to the bed? "…at the scene."  
Sharon kept her eyes closed and Andy couldn't tell how her wellbeing was.  
"So, how are you feeling?"  
"Hm", Sharon hummed, "a little numb." She still avoided to open her eyes because the light felt like needles poking her head.  
Before Andy could ask her if she needed anything, Rusty returned with the doctor. He told Sharon the same he had told Andy and Rusty, did a few tests, adjusted her IV and then left the room.  
Sharon kept lying in her hospital bed motionless and shifted in and out of a rather comatose sleep. The entire team came by but Sharon wasn't awake so they left rather quickly. She slept through the night dreamlessly due to the medications she had been given. Neither Rusty nor Andy left the room longer than ten minutes that night. The next morning Sharon woke up because of a sharp pain in her head. Andy was asleep in one of the fold-out chairs but Rusty noticed her grimacing with pain. "What is it?" he whispered and got to her bedside.  
"Head", Sharon was only able to ground.  
Rusty immediately pressed the bell that informed a nurse to check in with the patient. A young, blond woman arrived moments later and gave her a higher dosage of pain medication. About ten minutes later Sharon was finally able to relax a little. "Feeling better?" Rusty asked.  
"Much", Sharon nodded.  
"Good", Rusty sighted and then asked: "Can I get you anything?"  
"No, thank you. I'm good for now."  
"'kay. Emily and Ricky wanted to jump on the next plane after I called them yesterday. I could convince them to wait until you are awake but I promised them that you would call them immediately. Do you feel up to it?"  
Sharon just nodded.  
A little later Sharon had convinced her two oldest to stay where they are. There was no danger for Sharon anymore and the only thing that could help her recover now was time. And time was what she got from her family and friends.

A little later that day Rusty got home from the hospital for the first time. Gus had visited Sharon at the hospital and after Sharon encouraged Rusty and Andy more than once to get some real rest, Rusty finally agreed to spend the night following night in the condo. He unlocked the door and took a step back after her turned on the light. "What is it?" Gus asked, who was so concentrated on his boyfriend that he didn't see what Rusty saw.  
"I forgot", Rusty aspirated.  
Gus entered the living room until he stood next to Rusty and now knew what he meant. The condo wasn't exactly homelike. It was a crime scene. Nobody had had the time to clean the place so there was still shattered and partially bloody glass on the floor, withering roses all over the living room plus medical supplies that had been used on Sharon.  
"Right", Gus murmured. Wordlessly Rusty got plastic bags and the vacuum cleaner and without talking the two started to remove everything that reminded of the obvious fight Sharon had put up. It took them almost an hour until Rusty was satisfied with the results.  
"You hungry? I could whip something up", Gus suggested. Rusty just shrugged his shoulders. They were sitting on the couch, watching some senseless show. Gus got up and a little while later handed Rusty a plate with delicious looking pasta. They ignored Sharon's "no eating on the couch" rule Rusty enjoyed the feeling of normality coming back into the condo. Now everything that was missing was Sharon.

 _I know I keep repeating myself but I just can't say it enough: thank you so much for all your kind reviews on the last chapter! As you wished, I will continue working on this story a little longer, although I might need more time for the updates now. This chapter was a little bit Rusty-centered, I hope you liked it. I suppose the next will be mostly about Sharon's recovery. I am also open to wishes you might have for upcoming chapters, I am regarding the ones you have shared with me already:)_


End file.
